Diving bell



M. A. WHITE.

DIVING BELL APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25, 1920.

Patented June 27 1 922.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 1.

, wmvron M14. l/l H/ns M. A. WHITE.

DIVING BELL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 25, 1920.

Patented June 27, 1922.

v I nrromvirs MANLEY A. WHITE, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

DIVING IBELL.

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1922.

Application filed September 25, 1920. Serial No. 412,638.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, MANLEY A. HEE, a citizen of the United States, and a. resident of Beverly, in the count-y of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Diving Bell, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in hydraulic devices, and it pertains more particularly to means for facilitating submarine operations.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a device which may be lowered beneath the surface of the water into contact with the bed of the water to permit of mechanical operations thereon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for expelling water from within the device after the same has been placed in its operative position. It is a still further object of the invention to provide means in connection with such a device whereby the air pressure within the same may be regulated at the will of the operator.

lVith the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is avertical sectional view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is atop plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a. detail sectional view of the air supply pipe on an enlarged scale.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the device comprises a hollow shell-like member 5, preferably circular in form, and

the bottom of said shell-like member 5 is are pontoons 7 and 8. Each of these pontoons 7 and 8 is provided in its lower wall with an opening 9, through which the water of the pontoons is adapted to be expelled. Each of these pontoons is further provided in its upper wall with an air escape valve 10 of suitable construction to permit of the air passing out of the pontoon and the entrance of water thereinto for the purpose of submer ing the device.

M ounted in each of the'pontoons 7 and 8,

preferably near its upper wall, by means of hlnges 7, is a receptacle 8, which receptacles carry carbide or other suitable gas-forming chemical. These receptacles or tanks are maintained in their upward position by means of latches 9 operated from the engine room by means of a reciprocating rod 10, in such a manner that as these rods 10 are pulled, the receptacles 8 will be dumped in their respective pontoons to form a gas in case of accident to the air appartus.

The reference character 12 designates a cylindrical member secured in any desired manner within the top wall of the shell-like member 5, and said cylindrical member 12 is divided into three compartments 13, 14 and 15. These compartments 18, 14 and 15 are formed within the cylindrical member 12 by means of decks or flooring 16, 17 and 18. The compartment 15 forms the engine room or that compartment in which the several elements of machinery are positioned, and, as shown in Figure l, a motor 19 and an air compressor 20 are provided in this compartment. The compartments 13, 14 and 15 com municate one with another and the air in these compartments passes out through .the pipe 28 to the airline 34.

Extending rearwardly from the motor 19 and through the pontoon 7, is a propeller shaft 21, and secured to the rear end ofsaid propeller shaft 21, is a propeller 22, said propeller 22'being mounted onxthe exterior of the pontoon 7, the rear of the propeller shaft 21 being mountedin a bearing bracket 23.

The compartments 13' and 14 are adapted to be occupied by the crew in .the'raising and "lowering of the device, and these compartments 13 and 14 are provided with side openings or windows 24 arranged about the side walls thereof. Entrance and eXitto and from the compartment 13 are had by means of a door 25, which door is of the 'wat er-tight type. Y

As shownin Fig. 1, the deck 'or'fioor' 17 extends beyond the sides of the cylindrical receptacle to form platforms 26 upon the interior of the shell like membero, and exteriorly of the cylindrical member 12 withithe platforms 26 forming the floor therefor, "are compartments 27. Each of these compartments 27 opens to the interior of the com partment 14 by means of a water-tight door 28, and to the hollow shell-like member 5 by means of watertight. doors 29. This compartment 27 is in communication with the interior of the hell 5 by means of a pipe 31 controlled by a valve in such a manner that the same pressure may be obtained within the compartment 27 as is present in the bell 5. To relieve this pressure, the valve 32 is opened to permit of the pressure passing to the airline 34, after which the pressure in the compartment 27 reduces to that in the compartment 14.

Access is affordedfrom the compartment 13 to the compartment 14, by means of a ladder or stairway 30, and from the compartment 14 to the compartment 15, by means of. a similar ladder or stairway 31. Lead- 111g downwardly from one of the platforms 26, is a ladder 32, said ladder forming the means by which the crew may be lowered heneath the shell-like member 5, to a position on the bed of the body of water into which. the device is lowered.

The reference character 34 designates an air pipe or the like by means of which air is supplied to the compressor 20, and leading from said compressor 20 to the compartment 14, is an air pipe 36, and air is supplied to the chamber 13 from the compartment 14. Leading in opposite directions from the pipe 35, are two pipes37, and these pipes 37 form the means by which air is introduced f into the pontoons 7 and 8 to exclude the water therefrom and to permit of suflicient bu0yancy to raise the device to the surface when the sameis submerged.

Each of the compartments 27 is provided with an opening 26 in the floor thereof and said opening is closed by ahinged door 27 hinged as at 28. Mounted in the top of oneof these compartments is a drum 2() and said drum is provided with-abevel gear 21 with which meshes a bevel gear 22 carried by a shaft 23. Uponthe other end of this access is gained to the upper surface of the shaft 23, is a bevel gear 24, which meshes with a bevel gear 25 mounted on the upper end of a shaft 35. The lower end of this shaft 35 is provided with a bevel gear 36 meshing with a bevel gear 37' driven by the motor 19. in any desired manner. This drum 20' is adapted to carrya cable by means of which a diver in all-metal. diving armor may be lowered and raised through the opening 26' to the space within the shell 5. The shell 5 is provided with doors 29 and leading to the doors 29 from the circu lar deck, is a runway 30, by means of which pontoons when desired.

In order to make the device movable over the bed on which it is resting when submerged, the same is provided at its forward end with a traction wheel 40, and at a point slightly to the rear of the central portion bf the shell or bottom 5, two traction wheels 41 are providedf These traction wheels 40 and. 41 serve the means for supporting the device and permitting of its movement from place to place when submerged.

In order to control the direction of travel of the device, a rudder 43 mounted in a bracket 44, and a rudder seat 45 are provided at the rear of the machine, and in order to facilitate its towing, a towing ring 46 is employed at the forward end of the machine.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the airline 34 comprises an outer pipe and an inner pipe 71. The inner pipe 71 is the low pressure pipe and provides the exhaust from the various compartments to the atmosphere. The outer-pipe 70, how ever, is the high pressure pipe and by means of this pipe the air is forced downwardly from the surface to the several compartments of the apparatus. The inner pipe 71 terminates in a right-angular extremity 72 projecting into the shell-like member 5, by means of which air under pressure is applied to the member '5 for the purpose of excluding the water therefrom.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Assuming that the pontoons are filled with air and the device is floatingz To lower the same the valves 10 are'opened which permits of an exhaustion of the air in the pontoons and an entrance of water through the open ports 9. As sufficient quantity of the air is 'removech the device submerges to the bottom where the submarine work is to be carried out. Assum' ing'now that the crew is in the compartment 14 and wish to go to the exterior of the shell 5, where it is understoodthat the pressure is considerably higher than in the compartment 14, for the reason that the water must be expelled from the shell'5, a member of the crew" or diver with hisproper equipment, opens one of the doors 28 and enters the compartment 27. Upon enteringthe door 28, it will be found that the pressure in the compartment 27 is equal to that inthe compartment 14., The door-28 is now closed and the door 29 opened, which action would ordinarily permit of an inrush of pressure to the compartment 27 llowever, before the door 29 is opened, the

valve 31 is operated to gradually bring the pressure in the compartment 27 up to that of the shell member 5, after which the door may be opened and the diver enter the shell 5. I

henit is desired to'raise the device, the air escape valveslO are closed and the compressor 20 will serve to force air by means of the pipes 37 to the pontoons 7 and 8, and

same will escape under the influellgfi Of said force the water therefrom through the'openbuoyancy. The circulation of air is at all times maintained by means of the compressor 20, and said air is distributed to the various compartments in the manner heretofore described.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a device for submarine operations, in which excessive pressure for the purpose of expelling water from the Working chamber may be employed, and, at the same time, the device is so constructed that entrance and exit to and from the operating chamber in which the high pressure exists may be had without affecting the pressure in the c-rews quarters of the device. Further, it will be apparent that the device is Wholly self-contained and capable of movementfrom place to place under its own power.

lVhile in the present instance the double pipe system for supplying air under pressure and extracting the air from the bell has been shown in connection with a diving bell, it is to be understood that the same may be employed in any type of submarine apparatus, as, for instance, diving suits and the like.

lVhat I claimed is: I

1. A device of the character described comprising a substantially semi-circular inverted member, partitions dividing said semi-circular member and forming air compartments diametrically disposed with respect to one another, pontoon compartments diametrically disposed with respect to one another and secured to the inverted member, a housing mounted in the inverted member, partitions dividing said housing into a plurality of compartments, and means for supplying air under pressure to said compartments, substantially as described.

2. A device of the character described comprising an inverted bell-shaped member, a housing carried thereby and projecting through the upper Wall thereof, a plurality of partitions dividing the inverted bell-like member into air compartments, a plurality of partitions dividing the housing into a plurality of compartments, means for permitting access to the interior of the inverted bell-like member from one of the compartments of said housing, and means for introducing air under compression to the several compartments of said housing.

3. A diving .bell comprising an inverted bell-shaped member, pontoons carried thereby, partitions dividing said inverted bell-shaped member into air chambers, a housing mounted in said inverted bellshaped member, partitions dividing said housing into a plurality of compartments, and means for supplying air under compression to the several compartments of the housing and to the pontoons, as and for the purpose set forth.

MANLEY A. WHITE. 

